We have been unable to uncover any prior art which we consider to be relevant to the methods of monitoring a combustion system as disclosed and claimed in this specification. We believe our methods to be new and unique and far different from anything proposed in the prior art known to us.
In an attempt to ascertain any relevant prior art to the methods disclosed and claimed herein, a patent novelty study was carried out in the U.S. Patent Office. That study resulted in the citation of the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,800,761; 3,923,016; 3,926,154; 3,939,654; 4,007,589; 4,027,477; 4,052,968; 4,108,122; 4,117,815; 4,121,548; 4,133,326; 4,141,326; 4,146,000; and 4,158,347.
After a careful review of these patents, it was our opinion that none of them dealt with the subject matter specifically disclosed and claimed in this application. In order to show this fact, three of the cited patents will be discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,154 discloses a fuel control system which employs an oxygen sensor 14 and an unburned hydrocarbon sensor 15 in the tailpipe of an automotive vehicle in which fuel is burned in an internal combustion engine. In addition, a throttle angle transducer 12 is provided for supplying an input to a control device 10.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,968 discloses an air-to-fuel ratio adjusting system for an internal combustion engine which employs an air to fuel ratio detector 50 and a temperature sensor 80. An intake air pressure detecting device 70 is mounted in the intake manifold of the engine, and when the detected pressure in the intake manifold becomes greater than a predetermined threshold, additional fuel is supplied by means of an auxiliary fuel jet provided in the carburetor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,000 discloses an air flow control system which employs an acceleration/deceleration sensor 15 connected to the intake manifold for supplying a signal to a control unit 20. The purpose of this sensor is to detect a steady state operation of an internal combustion engine in order to gradually decrease the amount of opening and closing of an air bypass valve in a carburetor for the internal combustion engine.
As stated above, we believe that the patents cited in the novelty study do not even remotely suggest the methods of monitoring a combustion system as will be disclosed and claimed in this specification. We believe that we have developed a rather unique monitoring system which includes a variety of closely related methods of monitoring different characteristics of a combustion system. For example, a primary one of our methods is a method of obtaining on a continuous basis an instantaneous indication of the air to fuel ratio of an air/fuel mixture being fed to a combustion process. Such information may be used in a motor vehicle for precisely controlling the air/fuel ratio of the mixture being fed to the internal combustion engine so as to control the combustion products which are achieved during the combustion process. This same type of data may be used in power house applications in order to achieve a precisely correlated fuel to air mixture which ensures the most economical operation of the power generation system.
Other methods of monitoring a combustion system in accordance with the teachings of the inventions set forth in this specifications is a method of obtaining on a continuous basis an instantaneous indication of both the air to fuel ratio and the hydrogen to carbon ratio of an air/fuel mixture being fed to a combustion process. Additionally, a method is disclosed for obtaining on a continuous basis an instantaneous indication of both the air to fuel ratio and the oxygen equivalence of an air/fuel mixture being fed to a combustion process.
By slight alterations of the basic method taught in this specification, a method is achieved for obtaining on a continuous basis an instantaneous indication of both the air to fuel ratio and the air mass flow of an air/fuel mixture being fed to a combustion process. In a similar manner, the same data may also be obtained along with the fuel mass flow of that same air/fuel mixture being fed to a combustion process.
By use of a derivative of the basic method of this invention it is possible to develop a method of obtaining on a continuous basis for a moving, internal combustion driven vehicle an instantaneous indication of the air to fuel ratio, the air mass flow, fuel mass flow and instantaneous fuel economy of an air/fuel mixture being fed to the combustion process. This same basic method may also be used both on an engine driven vehicle and a stationary combustion process for obtaining on a continuous basis an instantaneous indication of both the air to fuel ratio and the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gases of an air/fuel mixture being fed to a combustion process.
The obtaining of the data as described above is of value because each type of data can be used in controlling the combustion process to achieve the maximum efficiency for that process. Such controls can also be used to obtain maximum fuel economy from operation of the combustion process. Still another way of using the methods of monitoring a combustion system as disclosed and claimed herein is to aid in reducing the least desirable components which are contained in the exhaust gas stream from the process.